NEW YORK (WKBW) — New York State Senator Thomas F. O'Mara (R - 58th District) has proposed a bill to raise the speed limit from 65 mph to 70 mph on certain roadways.
The bill states: "the majority of States across our Country have State speed limits that exceed 65 MPH. New York has failed to keep up with the rest of the County by not adopting a more efficient speed limit. This bill would correct this inefficacy by allowing for a 70 MPH speed limit where appropriate."
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), 22 states have maximum speed limits of 70 mph and 11 states have maximum speed limits of 75 mph on some portion of their roadway systems. You can view maximum speed limits here.
In addition, an IIHS study found that "during 1993-2017, a 5 mph increase in the maximum state speed limit was associated with an 8 percent increase in fatality rates on interstates and freeways and a 3 percent increase on other roads."
O'Mara represents New York's 58th Senate District, which encompasses Chemung, Schuyler, Seneca, Tioga, Steuben, and Yates counties, and a portion of Allegany County.
